CMA Fest 2017: How to keep cool and safe during the fun

(L to R) Gina Jaimez, Crissa Poindexter and Brittney Rodgers cheer as Old Dominion takes the Riverfront Stage on the first day of CMA Fest 2017, on Thursday, June 8, 2017, in Nashville.
(Photo: HELEN COMER/Tennessean.com)

With thousands of fans expected downtown for the CMA Music Festival and temperatures raising over the weekend, Vanderbilt LifeFlight has a few helpful tips to stay health and cool taking in the shows from all 9 venues.

Even though Thursday was a nice and cool day to kick off this year's festival, that didn't mean fans weren't feeling the heat already. A couple from Manchester, England already came into a tent seeking help from heat exhaustion, Jones said.

The best way to avoid heat exhaustion is to wear loose, light colored clothes and seek shade whenever possible. Above all, fans need to drink water more than alcohol.

Old Dominion performs on the Riverfront Stage on the first day of CMA Fest 2017, on Thursday, June 8, 2017, in Nashville.
(Photo: HELEN COMER/Tennessean.com)

"Drinking alcohol is not the same as drinking water, we have to stress that," Jones said.

Heat exhaustion, dehydration and sunburn are some of the most common reasons fans need to visit the various Vanderbilt tents set up all around the festival.

If you didn't fit sunscreen in your drawstring bag from home, don't worry. Every Vanderbilt station has sunscreen and hydration stations are set up all over downtown to refill water bottles.